Light rail transport system for bulk materials

ABSTRACT

A non-powered, light rail unit train (referred to as Rail-Veyor by the inventor) combination for the transport of bulk materials consisting of a plurality of connected cars open at each end except for the first and last cars, which have end plates. The train forms a long open semi-circular trough and has a flexible flap attached near the front of each car, overlapping the gap between car in front to prevent spillage during operation while allowing articulated movement of the train during transport. The lead car has four flanged wheels and tapered side drive plates at the front of the car for smooth entry into the systems stationary drive stations. The cars that follow each have parallel drive plates on either side of the car that are outside the two flanged wheels that are approximately the same width as the flexible drive tire. Each car has a clevis type hitch at the front and rear with the front clevis hitch connecting to the rear clevis hitch of the car immediately forward. Forward motion is provided by a series of appropriately placed fixed drive stations consisting of drive motors, gear reducers and horizontal flexible drive tires located on either side of the track which can be adjusted to provide sufficient friction on the aforementioned drive plates to transform rotational tire motion to horizontal thrust of the entire train. The motors at each drive station are controlled by use of an A/C inverter and controller whereby said motors are synchronized and both the voltage and frequency can be modified as needed to provide and adjust system operating needs. The flanged wheels are symmetrical to the side drive plates allowing operation in an inverted position which, when four rails are used to encapsulate the wheel outside loop discharge of the bulk material is possible. By using elevated rails, the train can operate in the inverted position as easily as in the convention manner.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for moving bulkmaterials that can be moved in conventional trains, trucks, conveyorbelts, aerial tramways or as a slurry in a pipeline. All of the abovemethods are commonly used in various industries because of site-specificneeds or experience. In the minerals and aggregate industries, forexample, bulk materials are moved from mining or extraction sites to aprocess facility for upgrading or sizing.

Trucks had been the system of choice for many years for moving bulkmaterials. Highway trucks are loud, dangerous, require high maintenance,and are not very popular with the public because of environmentallyharmful emissions. Trucks were enlarged to off road vehicles, which area more efficient transport of bulk materials because of increasedcapacity. These vehicles, however, are limited to site specificapplications and are high capital cost items. Major off road trucks haveevolved that require very wide roadways for passing each other, are notenergy efficient per ton-mile of material transported, have limited hillclimbing ability, and are dangerous because of potential of operatorerror as well as being environmentally unpleasant neighbors.

Trains have been used for many years for bulk material transport inhopper cars. Because of low friction, the use of free rolling iron orsteel wheels on steel tracks they are very efficient users of energy butare limited in capacity relative to the drivers or locomotives required.Large tonnage long trains use multiple drivers that are heavy units,which dictate the weight of rail and ballast requirements. All railroadsmust be designed for the weight of the drivers or locomotives includedfuel, not the combination of car plus loads, which are significantlyless. The drivers need to be of sufficient weight so that the rotarydrive wheel contact to the stationary rail have sufficient friction toproduce forward or reverse movement. The inclination capable ofconventional railroad systems is limited to the friction between theweighted drive wheels and track. Rail cars are individual units thateach has to be loaded in a batch process, one car at a time. Bulkmaterials can be unloaded from hopper cars by opening bottom dumphatches or can be individually rotated to dump out of the top. Spottingcars for both loading and unloading is time consuming and laborintensive.

Although moving from point A to point B by railroad is cost effectivethe added cost of batch loading and unloading stages in shorter distancetransports reduces the rail transport cost effectiveness. With normalsingle duel track train systems only one train can be used on a systemat a time.

Conveyor belts have been used for many years to move bulk materials. Awide variety of conveyor belt systems exist that can move practicallyevery conceivable bulk material. Very long distance single belt runs arevery capital cost intensive and are subject to catastrophic failure whenthe belt tears or rips, shutting down the whole system and dumping thecarried load, requiring cleanup. Conveyor belts are relatively energyefficient but can be high maintenance items because of the inherentproblem of multiple idler bearings requiring constant checking andreplacement. Short distance conveyor belts are commonly used in dry ordamp transport of almost all types of materials. Because conveyor beltsare very flexible and normally operated fairly flat they are notefficient at transporting moderately high solids slurry that water andfines can accumulate in low spots and spill over the side creating wetspilled slurry handling problems.

Some bulk materials can be transported in pipelines when mixed withwater to form slurry that is pushed or pulled with a motor driven pumpimpeller in an airless or flooded environment. The size of theindividual particles that are present in the bulk materials dictates thetransport speed necessary to maintain movement. For example, if largeparticles are present then the velocity must be high enough to maintainmovement by saltation or skidding along on the bottom of the pipe of thevery largest particles. Because pipelines operate in a dynamicenvironment, friction is created with the stationary pipe wall by amoving fluid and solid mass. The higher the speed of the moving mass thehigher the friction loss at the wall surface requiring increased energyto compensate. Depending on the application, the bulk material has to bediluted with water initially to facilitate transport and dewatering atthe discharge end.

Light rail, narrow gage railroads for transporting bulk material frommines and the like is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,535. Hubert et al,The patent show a light rail train made up of several cars propelled bydrive wheels and electric motors combinations, dumping over an outsideloop.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,334. Robinson, Jr. et al. a similar narrow gagerailroad is disclosed wherein the cars are driven by an electric motorand drive wheels.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,039,402 Richardson, also showed a method of movingrailroad cars using a stationary friction drive tire.

A review of the above described transport methods indicate that they allhave specific advantages over the conventional systems, dependent on theapplication. It has become apparent however, that increases in labor,energy and material costs plus environmental concerns that alternatetransport methods need to be applied that are energy and laborefficient, quiet, non-polluting, and esthetically unobtrusive. The lightrail train utilizing an open semi-circular trough train of thisinvention with improved drive stations offers an innovative alternativeto the above mentioned material transport systems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention, aptly namedRail-Veyor by the inventor, to provide a method and apparatus for theefficient transport of bulk material that utilizes light rails similarto, but smaller than conventional railroad rails of sufficient capacityto support the carrier and the load. The invention comprises acombination of a railway train with equally spaced fixed site driversfor transporting bulk commodities. The train consists of a plurality ofcars coupled together on a track way with each car having a longitudinalsemi-circular trough adapted to contain said bulk commodities and eachcar having a pair of car length side drive plates, a pair of drive unitsmounted adjacent to and on both sides of said track way which consist ofelectrical motors, with gear reducers rotating horizontal flexible drivetires to provide a high friction contact with the said side drive platesto provide forward or reverse thrust, and an A/C inverter and controllerconnected to every pair of drive motors whereby the motor aresynchronized and both the voltage and frequency can be raised or loweredas needed.

In the present invention there are external or off-track drives that arenot physically connected to the moving train limiting the train weightto only the car and load weight reducing the need for costly ballast andsleepers to support the locomotives or drivers required in theconventional railroad comparison. For the purpose of this descriptionlight rails are those having a weight of 60 pounds or less per yard oflength.

Another aspect of this invention is a method of transporting bulkcommodities by a light rail train with external drives with the steps ofcoupling a plurality of railway cars together to form a train on a trackway wherein each car has a longitudinal semi-circular trough adapted tocontain the bulk commodities and each car has a pair of parallel carlength side drive plates, loading said train with bulk commodities,driving said train with one or more pairs of stationary drive unitsmounted adjacent to said track way, and unloading the train by invertingthe cars on an arcuate dual track way.

The cars, each consist of a semi-circle open trough and when joined orcoupled together represents an open and continuous rigid trough for theentire length of the train. A flexible sealing flap attached near thefront of the trailing car overlaps but is not attached to the rear ofthe lead car trough. A semi-circular trough is much better sealed withthe flexible flap that other designs such as showed in U.S. Pat. No.3,752,334. This allows the train to follow the terrain and curveswithout losing its sealed integrity as a continuous trough. The materialto be transported in the train is effectively supported and sealed bythis flap as the material weight is equally distributed maintaining theseal against the metal trough of the forward car. The long continuoustrough provides for simplified loading as the train can be loaded andunloaded while moving similar to a conveyor belt. This is a significantadvantage over the batch loading equipment requirements of aconventional railroad hopper or rotary dump car.

Each car will have a fixed side drive plate on each side, which runs thelength of the car and spaced outside the wheels and tracks. These sidedrive plates are located symmetrically with the wheels and parallel tothe light rails. Preferably, the centerline of the wheels will bisectthe drive plates.

By providing two parallel sets of rails such as, an upper and lower setsof rails facing ball in, the train can operate inverted with the trainhanging on the lower rail for unloading. Effectively, the train can makean outside loop with a double set of rails, which greatly simplifiesunloading. After dumping, the inverted train can then be rotated back tothe normal position eliminating the upper set of rails.

After the lead car, the individual cars have one set of wheels at therear of the car and a single point connection to the car in front suchas brackets with clevis pins. This allows the train to move in aflexible manner as well as vertically and actually rotate when operatingin an inverted position to return to the normal operating condition.This ability to be less terrain sensitive than a conventional train addsto the flexibility of this light rail transport system.

The stationary drive stations consist of alternative current electricmotors each coupled to a gear reducer which rotates a horizontalflexible drive tire which is in contact with the aforementioned sidedrive plates of the individual cars. Each station will consist of two ormultiple of two drive units rotating in opposite directions on bothsides of the cars. The A/C electric drive motors are controlled byinverters, which control all speed variations of the drive stationsrotation and train movement as required. The inverter, controller andgear reducer design will allow operation of the station in reverse sothe train can be programmed to move in both directions on the sametrack. This is important in single-track mining operations.

Each drive station motors operates in a vertical axis with the drivetire horizontal and contacting the side plates. Each drive station sideis mounted to allow rotation around a fixed pivot shaft and be pivotedby an external screw-jack to control contact pressure of the side driveplate of the cars. This jack can be either electrically or mechanicallycontrolled to provide the required opposing pressures to provideadequate forward or reverse thrust to move the train without slipping.

The drive stations are dormant when a train is not present. A sensor inthe proximity of each drive station advises the drive unit to start whena train is approaching and starts up that drive. When a train completelypasses the drive station a second sensor shuts the station down which isthen waiting to be told to start up again with the arrival of the nexttrain. The use of simple, off the shelf, A/C electric motors and gearreducers on the drives are operated in a benign environment, because ofpre-train arrival startup, system shock requiring eventual maintenanceis lessoned. Safety is improved as the energy to operate each drive isfrom an insulated power cable as opposed to the open third rail oroverhead bare cable used in more typical electric drive trains.

Maintenance of the drive stations is simplified by the ease of removinga whole unit, when damaged, by lifting it off its pivot post andinserting a new or repaired unit. The side drive plates are designed tomaintain continuity of tire to plate contact between cars by providing aprojection in the lower part of the side plate and a matching recess inthe lower part of the drive plate on the next car. It is preferred touse a semi-circular shaped projection but other shapes can be used ifdesired. The tire is always in contact with the upper part of theforward car plate when it comes in contact with the lower part of thefollowing car plate. This design reduces open spaces between cars andreduces vibrations when the drive tire rotates from one car to the next.

These plates are also designed to allow short radius outside loops,between cars when unloading as well as space for turning or rotating aspart of the operating process.

The wheels of each car are inside the side drive plates but outside thecar frame. These wheels are located at the rear of each car connected toa single axle, which can be mounted through and attached to the frame.This allows for easy replacement of axles, bearings and wheels as a unitwhen the car is inverted, minimizing potential down time.

The flexible drive tires can be made out of a variety of materials.Examples of suitable material, but not limited to, are soft solid tires,synthetic rubber tires, urethane pneumatic rubber tires and syntheticfoam filled tires. The preferred tire is a foam filled pneumatic tire.Foam provides the flex function associated with air filled tires withoutthe potential problem of rapid deflation. The flexing capabilitycompensates for irregularities in side plate spacing and also allowedfor full contact of straight side plates even in deformed sections thatwould lead to contact skips with nonflexible tires. The use of adeflatable tire could cause a loss of traction and offer potential forderailment. The utilized tire will have a relatively low durometersurface that can adjust to the slight variable in the surface of theside plate providing positive traction. The drive tire and its wheelneed to be permanently attached to avoid slippage during high torquestartup when the train is loaded and idle, because of potential poweroutages and other physical stoppage of the train.

Forward or reverse motion of the train is the result of horizontalrotation of tires on opposite sides of the train turning in oppositedirections with suitable pressure of said rotation that provides minimalslip between the tire surface and side plates. In other words, the twoopposing tires are both pushed inward toward the center of the track.

The frictional forces of these drive tires—side drive plate contact issufficient to avoid slippage between the drive tires and side plates,hence providing forward thrust. The system must have sufficient torqueto meet the short-term maximum condition of a dead start of a fullyloaded train. The required torque must be a minimum of twice thatrequired during normal operations, and usually required for just a fewseconds of time. The inverter provides this capability. The drive tireis mounted on a vertical shaft that is part of a gear reducerinterconnected to an electric motor. This motor, gear reducer and tireunit or drive system is mounted on a post that is offset from thecenterline of the drive system, which allows it to rotate around thevertical post. The vertical post is approximately the same distance fromthe car side plates as half of the diameter of the tire, with sufficientclearance allowed. This spacing allows for most efficient pressure whenforces are applied to the side plates. Ideally, the pivot post,centerline of tire line is a 90° angle from the closest point on thedrive plate.

Control of side pressure to maintain adequate friction between the sideplate and tire is maintained by the placement of a second vertical postaligned perpendicular to the side plates of the cars and aligned withthe drive tire. A tube containing a screw-jack type of devise isattached to the second vertical post that provides for movement andresultant pressure of the drive tire against the car drive plates. Sidepressure is maintained by adjusting the screw-jack either forward orreverse dependent on the needs with a fixed support bracket that isattached to the screw-jack containing tube. Either a manually controlledjack handle or an electric motor that is reversible makes the adjustmentof the screw-jack. With proper sensing devises the side plate pressurescan be controlled remotely from a central location with an electricalcontrol system. The ability to increase side pressure by use of thescrew-jack allows the train to operate with much higher angles ofinclination, approaching the angle of repose of the carried material.

Any gear reducer attached in line or perpendicular to the motor andending with a vertical shaft for attachment with the drive tire willfunction for this application. To maintain simplicity the in-line systemis preferred for ease of pressure adjustments and removal when required.

It is preferred to operate with a drive that is able to withstandsubstantial shock loads in cases where power failure occur while thetrain is in motion or when it enters a powerless drive station. It isalso important to have a gear reducer that is able to function with highstartup torque loads as discussed previously that may occur duringloaded train start-up from dead stop. The preferred, but not limited to,drive is the SM cyclo concentric type gear drive from Sumitomo HeavyIndustries. This system operates in a manner to meet the potential shockload and high torque startup requirements. Convention gear reducers willalso work for this function, as the basic operation of the drive stationis quite benign.

An important part of the drive system is the application of an inverterand controller system. Previous patented systems referenced did not havethis type of system available, which has provided the most significantadvancement in the light rail train concept. An inverter can controlboth frequency and voltages applied to A/C systems. The inverter andcontroller supplies line voltage and then distributes this voltage toopposing pairs of drive motors. The ability to control both frequencyand voltage distribution is important in the synchronized operation oftwo drive motors and consistent speed of the opposing drive tires. Theinverter system also can be used as a switch to control electric powerand direction of rotation of the drive motors as well as a controlledrate of acceleration or de-acceleration.

An A/C inverter control synchronizes the rotational speed of both drivesat a drive station. All the other drive stations are also set to operateat the desired rotational speed. By synchronizing all the drives,operational speed is controlled and smooth transfer of rotational thrustoccurs from one station to the next, providing consistent trainmovement. All drive station controls can be set for local or remoteoperation, necessary to establish pressure requirements at each station.By use of the remote setting each A/C inverter can be controlled andmonitored from a central control station through conventional conduitcables, fiber optic systems or radio signal control systems.

Controlled speed changes can be made from this remote station as well ascontrolled rates of acceleration or de-acceleration as may be requiredduring loading or dump cycles. The inverter control system also providesthe means of placing the drives in a operational position when a sensoron the track signals the arrival of a train, starts the drive tooperational speed and shuts down the drive after the train clears thatdrive station. This continues around the track as the train makes acomplete loop. By only operating when a train is present, energy usageis kept to a minimum.

A sensor attached to the track or at any location including the trainitself can alert the station to start as the arrival of a train isacknowledged. The receipt of a signal initiates the start of the drivestation so that it is running at its selected operating speed when thetrain actually arrives being driven by the preceding station. The trainis always in contact with a drive station and is never allowed to rollfree. Upon the passing of the last car through a station a shutdownsensor is actuated which shuts down that station, which is then in adormant state awaiting the signal to start up again.

The use of the inverter control system also allows for a controlled rateof start up speed if the system is shut down for any purpose. Ifrequired, the inverter internal switch system can also allow the drivestations to operate in reverse, if backing up the train is required, insingle train operations. The unique combination of both mechanical andelectrical drive controls and motor control functions represents a veryenergy efficient system previously not available on earlier drivesystems.

Energy is only used when the train is physically entering the drivestation. This concept allows each drive station to operate independentlyof the other stations. It is important however, when a long loop isrequired with several trains operating that the inner-space betweentrains is consistent. If a station failure occurs or obstacle isencountered on the track all stations are shut down immediately with allthe trains coming to a controlled stop. It is also required that eachdrive station be equipped with dynamic brakes to prevent train runawayon downhill runs and with positive locking brakes that are actuated inpower off situations that can hold a train in place until the system canbe returned to an operational status.

Information on a stations status as to operating temperature, percent ofmaximum torque load, rotational speed, and other status requirements canbe transmitted through a multifunctional control cable and informationcable, fiber optic line, radio transmission system linking all the drivestations with a central control station. Once programmed, the entiresystem will operate hands free with no direct operational controlnecessary.

The train as operated is totally powerless. In certain situations it isnecessary to attach to the lead car a combination generator/battery packto provide power for necessary safety features. A warning strobe lightis required. In addition a small radar unit sends out a signal to adviseof track obstacles, which would be coupled with a warning siren. If theobstacle persists an RF signal is then transmitted to the next stationand the whole system is then shut down. Power from thisgenerator/battery pack can also be used to provide a signal to the startsensor of a drive station to provide for redundancy in case of localstation sensor failure.

In addition to the unique drive system the relationship of the driveplate to the car wheel is important. Locating the side drive platessymmetrical to the free rolling wheel gives access to a rail on both thetop and bottom of the wheel. This allows operation of the train in aninverted position by using two sets of parallel rails on both sides ofeach wheel. With four rails the train is encapsulated because of theflanged wheel side movement limitations and minimal space between theparallel rails only slightly wider than the wheel diameters.

The rails can be bent to provide for a radius that would allow the carsto operate in an outside loop where both the top and bottom of thewheels are in near physical contact with the parallel rails. There is apoint that during the loop the train weight is shifted to the top rail,which requires that the wheel will stop and start turning in theopposite direction. At the completion of an approximate 180° loop thecars would be inverted while functioning normally.

A flexible flap is attached near the leading edge of each car. This flapwould overlap but not be connected to the trailing edge of the forwardcar. During normal transport the weight of the material on the carforces this flap against the round trough in the forward car, preventingleakage. Because of the material in the flap is flexible, the cars cantwist and turn without losing sealing integrity. When a twist motion isrequired to rotate through 180 degrees the flap must be attached to thecar several inches back of the lip of the car to allow for thedisplacement of the unaligned gap between cars with the flexible flap.

When operating in an outside loop the spacing between the individual cartroughs opens up as the cars pivot around the clevis pin attachment. Therotary motion of the outside loop causes the lead car to drop away fromthe trailing car separating the flexible flap from the forward car. Theflap then performs the function of a spout or chute as the materialslides off the front of the car; it is projected over the car in front.Once the carried material slides off the car and spout formed by theflap, self-cleaning of the cars occurs. The combination of dumping speedand car flap trough extension allows for precise dumping without impactof the leading car with dumped material.

With the outside loop completed and the cars emptied, it is necessary torotate the train back to the normal upright position or 180°. The rateof twist is dependent on selected car lengths, and distance available.The longer the distance the smoother the rotational transition with thenon-flexible cars. During the twist phase four rails are still requireduntil the car is in its normal operational position. For ease ofinstallation, round steel stock can be substituted for the rail duringthis application. There is a period of time near the 90° stage of thetwist phase that all of the car weight is hanging on the wheel flanges.This is a high wear environment. To compensate for this, a series ofrollers are installed that physically contact the side plates and takethe weight of the car rather than have the flanges in mechanical contactwith the rails. Once the train is inverted after dumping the flexibleflaps will again lay flat against the trough of the leading car.

Once emptied and inverted to the normal position the cars can bereloaded again be used to transport, dump, reload again and new materialtransported, with the cycle able to be repeated several times on thesame track loop. For example, a single train can be used to haul coarserock from a mine to a crushing system, dumped, then pick up processedproduct to transport to a loading site, dump and return to the plant toload waste to be returned to the mine site, dumped and the whole cyclethen repeated. With the establishment of an integrated system additiontrains can be added without any change to the operating components ofthe train system. The drive stations only recognize the arrival of atrain.

The arrival of a second train to that station can be almost immediatelyafter the first one leaves. Depending upon total loop distance onesingle train could be sufficient or up to one train per every otherdrive station could be used if haul capacity increases or distance cycletimes requiring more trains are necessary. In the above multi-train typeof operation the need for the redundant signals, controlled shutdown andpower-off train lockdown is obvious.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a side view of the train with the leading car in front,intermediate car and end car.

FIG. 2 shows a top view of the same three cars as in FIG. 1 plus showsthe relationship of the flexible sealing flaps between cars, and therelationship of the drive station.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the lead car without the trough showing thetaper of the front drive plates and site location of generator forsafety signal box, and safety service module.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of an intermediate car with the clevis pins,drive plates, wheels and axle support.

FIG. 5 is a vertical view of a typical drive station showingrelationship of pivoting drive components and tire/drive plate pressureapplication system.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the positioning screw-jack used to providepressure contact.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a vertical post support drive unit.

FIG. 8 is a view of an outside loop dumping station and side platesupport for flanges during 90° twist position.

FIG. 9 is a section at A-A′ from FIG. 8 showing a car support harnesswhich is rotated around a steel pipe used to rotate the train afterdumping through the twist phase.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing the effects of the flexible flaps as theyfunction as discharge chutes during dumping.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-10 illustrate the invention but with regard to the reverencenumerals used therein, the following index is presented to facilitate abetter understanding of the numbering system used throughout all thefigures. 1 lead car trough 2 light rail track 3 front car dischargechute 4 rear car drive plate taper 5 support post for screw-jack 6rotational cap for screw-jack 7 vertical post support brackets 8screw-jack mechanical control handle 9 screw-jack housing 10 driveelectric motor 11 pivot post for drive unit 12 drive tire 13 drive gearreducer 14 trough rear car 15 end plate rear car 16 front car main driveplate 17 front car drive plate taper 18 flexible sealing flap 19intermediate cars drive plates 20 flanged wheel 21 rear car drive plate22 car troughs support saddles 23 intermediate car trough 24 drive platefor rotation front 25 front car system generator 26 drive plate forrotation rear 27 safety system alarm pack 28 control box for A/Cinverter front car 29 front axle lead car pivot 30 car frame angle ironsupport pin-twist 31 axle unit for wheel support 32 cars rear clevisconnection 33 axle support clamps 34 cars front clevis connection 35rail gage support brackets 36 drive station support bracket 37 invertercontrol box support base 38 retainer ring for drive support bracket 39screw-jack clamp on 40 dump loop cement footings drive reducer 41outside loop dump structure 42 dump system support columns 43 twist 90°wheel flange 44 ring guide pipe for support rollers twist installation45 twist bracket mounting collar 46 dump station incline 47 dumped rockstockpile 48 car frame twist phase multi-units

From a consideration of FIGS. 1, 2 and 5 it is clear that light rails 2are mounted on a base plate 46 which is representative of the drivestation, which can be an anchored, thick steel plate or a concrete slabof suitable thickness. Vertical support posts 5 and pivot posts 11 aremounted on the base 46 with one or more support brackets 7. Each supportpost 6 has a cap 5 on which is mounted the screw-jack shaft 9.

The drive wheels 12 are powered by the A/C electric motors 10 which aredirectly coupled to gear reducers 13. The A/C electric motor using U.S.power preferably operates on 480 volt three phase power. These motorsrun from 1750 to 1780 revolutions per minute (RPM). In order to achievemore torque the gear reducers lower the speed to a range of 50 to 125RPM depending upon the application. The pressure of the wheels 12 on thecar side drive plates 16, 17, 19, and 21 is adjusted by means of a handcrank 8. Each motor, reducer and drive tire 10, 13 and 12 is mountedvertically on a post, which allows the whole assembly to pivot aroundit. The drive unit is moved by the screw-jack using the hand crankforcing it to rotate toward the car side plate. The same function ispreformed on the opposite side of the track so that the train iscentralized with pressure equalized to provide traction.

The train is shown in FIG. 1 wherein the car trough 14 had end plates 15on the on the rear of the last car and the front car 3 has a chutefrontage. The train can be made as long as is needed by merely addingmore intermediate cars and more drive stations. The effect of this is tocreate a long moving trough of bulk material. A normal system loop willbe divided up into an equal number of drive stations with the spacingbetween stations established by the capacity requirements of thefacility with the train length one or two cars longer than the spacebetween drive stations. A train must always be in contact with a drivestation to maintain control.

It is to be noted that each car has a durable and flexible sealing flap18 attached near the front of each car and extends to cover the rearportion of the car directly in front. This flap effectively seals thegap between cars and also functions as an individual discharge spout foreach car when the car is unloaded in an outside loop. This flap can bemade of any suitable flexible material such as polyurethane, rubber,nylon, and the like.

The end and intermediate cars all have projections 24 on the lower frontedge of the side drive plates 19 and 21. It is preferred to usesemi-circular projections but any suitable shape can be used. The frontcar and all the intermediate cars all have a corresponding openings 26in their in the lower rear side drive plates. This enables the train tobe move in both vertical and horizontal plane.

FIG. 3, along with FIG. 4 shows the details of the front car and theremaining cars. Respectively. The cars are mounted on wheels 20 with thefront car having four wheels and the others only having two wheels each.Each car has a series of cross and support beams 30 maintain a rigidframe. The front car has two front wheels 20 mounted on an axle that canpivot around a central pin 29 to facilitate bending, rotating andtwisting motions. In addition, the front car has tapered side driveplates 17, which are aligned with and similar to the parallel side driveplates 16. The distance between the front of said drive plates 17 isless than the distance between the balance of all the side drive plates.Thus, they have a taper and can fit into the drive stations withoutshock. This makes it easy for the train to enter between the drivewheels 12 on each and every drive station. The rear wheels of these carsare mounted on a single axle 31 with both ends machined to use inner andouter thrust bearings. These cars are coupled together by verticalmounted clevis pins with the rear clevis bracket 32 and the front clevisbracket 34. The centerline elevation of the clevis pins is equal to thecenterline of the wheels.

The loading station for the train is of a conventional design as shownin FIG. 18 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,334 and FIG. 6 of U.S. Pat. No.3,332,535. The same A/C inverter system that controls the drives alsocontrols the loading of the cars. A sensor tells the loading conveyor tostart when the train arrives, and to shut down as the train is leaving.FIG. 8 shows a dumping station for the train.

The train is pushed up the rail incline 2 to the double rail loop 41supported by posts 42 with suitable footing such as concrete footing 40.As the train inverts, it projects outward its particular cargo and itaccumulates into a pile 47. The transported cargo can then betransferred by standard material handling equipment for furtheroperations or sold or stored.

FIG. 9 shows a typical cross sectional view of the train in an invertedposition and it is taken on section A-A in FIG. 8. The weight of the nowempty cars is on the lower rails 2. The empty train is then restored toan upright position, through a 180 degree twist with car lift rollersfor flange protection at 43 through a series of 48 structures until thetrain is in its normal operating position, and returned to the loadingstation.

FIG. 10 shows the train going over an outside loop in the direction ofthe arrow (from left to right). The flexible flaps 18 assist in thedischarge the cargo as the train approaches a vertical position. Theprojections 24 and 26 of the side plate openings are also illustrated.

1. A non-powered railway train for transporting bulk commodities with aplurality of cars wherein each car has a pair of side drive plates andeach car has a separate longitudinal semi-circular trough adapted tocontain said bulk commodities comprising, A) a lead car having a troughwith a front end plate and a reduced distance between said side driveplates in front for smooth entrance to a drive station, B) a rear carhaving a trough with a rear end plate, also with a reduced distancebetween plates at the rear of the car to reduce shock when train exits astation, C) a multiple of intermediate cars coupled to said lead car,the rear car, and each other by a clevis type couplings whereby thetroughs of said cars are aligned to produce an overall open trough withgaps between cars and D) a flexible flap mounted near the front of saidintermediate cars so that said flap extends over the gap between saidcars and acts as a seal and discharge chute when the train is unloadedusing an outside loop.
 2. The train set forth in claim 1 wherein saidrear car and intermediate cars have projections on the lower third ofthe front end of each of said side drive plates which extend past saidgaps, and A) lead car, intermediate and rear cars have circular openingson the lower rear end of each of said side drive plates which are largerthan said upper projections, which allow continuous tire contact betweencars during operation yet allows rotation of adjacent cars duringdumping and other transport variables.
 3. The train as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said troughs have a semi-circular cross-section thatprovides for more efficient sealing between cars than square or the flatbottom and angled straight sided troughs as illustrated in previouspatents.
 4. A railway train with external drivers for transporting bulkcommodities comprising in combination: A) a plurality of cars coupledtogether to form a train having a lead car, a multiple of intermediatecars, and a rear car with each car having a pair of car length sidedrive plates and a longitudinal trough adapted to contain said bulkcommodities whereby said lead car has a reduced distance between saidside drive plates in the front of said car and a front and rear pair ofcar wheels, B) one or more pairs of electric drive motors mountedadjacent to said train with drives means to provide controllablefrictional contact with said side drive plates whereby said train can bemoved forward and backward, and C) A/C inverters and controllerconnected to every pair of drive motors whereby said motors aresynchronized and both voltage and frequency can be modified as needed,and overall system control is maintained.
 5. The drive system as setforth in claim 4 that by utilizing a stationary vertical post to supportthe entire drive system including motor, gear reducer and drive tire isrotated against the side plate of the train with the drive stationpressure maintained by a screw-jack system pushing the drive system tomake sufficient contact to control slippage and allow for varying thepressure as condition variables occur, A) the combination of a flexibledrive tire and side plate pressure system using screw-jack systemprovides simple but positive pressure, and the ability of making rapidadjustments when required, B) the entire drive system including pressureprovider is mounted on two vertical posts, on each side of the trackwith either system replacement facilitated by simply lifting entiredrive off posts, disconnecting power cords and replacing drive unit withnew or repaired units in very short period of time. No substantialstructure required for drive system support is required, C) and withoutlarge fixed structure to support drive system the systems mobility isgreatly facilitated. As a specific site requirements change, the abilityof moving drive stations, light rail un-ballasted track and otherrequired components is easily accomplished without complicated andspecialized equipment.
 6. As referenced in claim 4, inverter controlsystem provides for multiple train systems and controls to preventsystem malfunctions, and reduces the potential for operator error, A)and inverter controller allows ability to only operate a drive stationwhen a train approaches a station, and shuts it down when a trainleaves, B) with the inverter allowing synchronization of adjacent drivestations so that a smooth transition occurs when a train is still incontact with a station at the tail end of a train when the next stationdrive obtains control of the train at the front end, C) and invertersignals that can be used to provide for total system shutdown if asingle drive station in out of service or obstacle occurs, D) andintegrating inverters from drives and other operation functions such asautomated train loading expands upon the increased flexibility to thesystem they offer.
 7. As referenced in claim 1 the train is non-poweredand free rolling with mechanical control maintained by side pressurefrom the horizontal drive tires. A) A combination generator and batterypack used to provide power by use of a rotary wheel generator makingcontact with the rear wheel of the lead car, B) the energy generated canprovide power for strobe light, obstacle sensing unit, warning siren,sensor signal transmitting devise to be a backup signal to start a drivestation if fixed signal fails and an Radio Frequency transmitter toalert next station that overall system shutdown is required.
 8. Asreferenced in claim 6, all drive stations shall require a combinationbraking system, A) With a dynamic braking system to prevent train fromhaving un-controllable acceleration during extensive downhill powered orun-powered runs, a requirement when multiple trains are operating on thesame track system, B) and each drive station will have a positive lockdown brake such as a disk, brake shoe, tension band or drive plateclamps with a suitable braking material that, depending uponapplication, is sufficient to stop the train and hold in position when apower outage occurs or other system repairs are required to shut downthe whole system. This brake will automatically be activated when thereis no power and be deactivated when the bulk material transport systemis started up. This brake location is within the wheel of the drivetire, direct coupled to the electric motor or adjacent to but externalto the drive unit.
 9. As referenced in claim 1 a method of utilizingexisting side drive plates used to provide forward motion, which canalso provide friction reduction of car wheel flanges during twist phaserequired when train completes dumping cycle in inverted position and isrotated back to normal operating position that, at and near the 90° or ½of the rotation, that free rolling rollers are installed and mountedparallel to the drive plates at that particular position so that theplates are lifted slightly to take the total weight of the car off theflange of the wheels, which normally would be skidding along the trackat that 90° position.